


Ace of Spades

by heyystiles



Category: Deception (TV 2018)
Genre: ( will add more as I go ) - Freeform, Angst, Broken Bones, Gen, Hurt Cameron, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Major Character Injury, Mistaken Identity, Torture, Whump
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-24
Updated: 2018-06-20
Packaged: 2019-04-27 04:27:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14417670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heyystiles/pseuds/heyystiles
Summary: Jonathan is finally a free man, but that doesn't mean the world has been completely rid of those seeking revenge against the Black twins.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Nothing you recognize belongs to me. (Except for the villain. He's my original character.) Also this is totally unbeta'd out of sheer laziness, I'm sorryyyy. (TITLE IS TENTATIVE as well, because I couldn't think of anything better at the moment.)

A year and a half in prison wasn’t particularly kind to Jonathan Black.

 

_ And he was one of the lucky ones. _

 

But Cameron had somehow managed to do it— keep his promise. The mystery woman was now behind bars, in Jonathan’s place.

 

**_(_ ** _ Well—  _ not really. But, you get the idea.  **_)_ **

 

So his first steps as a free man weren’t necessarily as fulfilling as Jonathan had hoped, but a wave of relief washed over him nonetheless.

 

The large mechanized gate closed behind him and he took a few steps forward, taking one deep breath to steel himself as he made his way toward a payphone down the street.

 

He’d call Cameron,  _ obviously.  _ But maybe he’d be better off  _ waiting a bit.  _ Just a little bit. A few minutes of alone time?  _ Couldn’t do much harm. _

 

**No.**

 

If he knew Cameron, he’d be waiting on the edge of his seat for the phone to ring, to do anything he could possibly do to be absolutely sure his brother was out of prison,  _ and safe,  _ **_and alive._ **

 

Depositing the change he’d managed to swipe from a nearby unsuspecting tourist, Jonathan dialed his brother’s number, tugging the hood of his jacket up over his head. Now was  _ not  _ the time to be recognized as Cameron Black.

 

Or even worse,  _ himself. _

 

The phone rang all of two times before the line connected and a voice frantic, but not too far off from his own answered.

 

_ “John— that you?” _

 

_ “Yeah, Cam- it’s me,”  _ Jonathan couldn’t help the grin that threatened to tug up at the edges of his lips at the over-the-top sigh of relief that followed his brother’s greeting and his subsequent response.

 

“I’m on the corner of Baxter and White. Mind having Jordan or Dina pick me up? I still don’t trust Gunter to drive—  _ not after what happened last April-” _

 

“Wait what happened last Apr—  _ oh.  _ **_Right._ ** Yeah, I wouldn’t either, buddy,” the laugh that followed from Cameron was genuine,  _ Jonathan could tell _ , and the warmth that flooded his chest at his brother’s happiness was…annoying—  _ to say the least — _ but oh so very welcome.

 

“I’m on it,” Cameron continued, and Jonathan could sense the grin he was clearly trying to subdue, “-can’t wait to see you, pal.”

 

“—yeah,  _ yeah. I get it. _ Save the mushy stuff for another time,” Jonathan joked, his tone light as well as he said goodbye to his brother and hung up the phone.

 

\---

 

_ Sure _ , the mystery woman had been finally taken care of, but that meant Cameron was  _ far from finished  _ working with the FBI.

 

He was having the time of his  _ life. _

 

This was what Cameron Black was truly meant to do. _Screw_ _fooling audiences with clever camera tricks and daring escapes_ — this was saving lives. _Actual lives._ And that was a thousand times more important.

 

And Kay?  _ Agent Kay Daniels?  _ Might just be the love of Cameron Black’s life.

 

**_(_ ** But I’m getting ahead of myself…  **_)_ **

 

Ending the call with his brother, Cameron sat the phone down on the table in front of him, still attempting to stifle the thrilled smile that kept trying to worm its way back onto his face.

 

Idle chit chat could be heard in the next room between the members of his own team and a few familiar FBI voices, and Cameron spun around as a footsteps approached him from behind.

 

Kay raised an eyebrow, a wry grin accompanying the gesture as she folded her arms over her chest,  _ “Your brother, _ I take it—?”

 

“Wow, you know, you’re getting really good at this  _ reading people _ thing,” Cameron teased, folding his own arms over his chest, subconsciously mimicking Kay.

 

“ _ Actually _ , had the unis check in with HQ after his release- I think  _ I knew _ before  _ you  _ did.”

 

“That’s— pshhh,” Cameron let out a puff of air in mock hurt, shaking his head, “—that’s  _ low,  _ Kay.”

 

“Jordan’s already on his way,  _ c’mon _ ,” she let out a slight laugh, ushering Cameron into the main room of the Archive, where the rest of the crew were also eagerly awaiting the other twin’s arrival.

 

\---

 

Columbus Park wasn’t too far from the payphone Jonathan had used to contact his brother, so he found himself wandering toward the edge of the property as he kept an eye out for Jordan.

 

Keeping his gaze low, Jonathan sat down on a nearby bench, away from what little crowds of people were already enjoying their time in the park. The weather was  _ gorgeous,  _ Jonathan couldn’t lie, but something still felt  **off.**

 

**“Mr. Black.”**

 

A chillingly deep voice echoed suddenly from somewhere over Jonathan’s shoulder.

 

**“Don’t turn around—”** the familiar click of a handgun sent a chill rippling up Jonathan’s spine like a shockwave.

 

_ “What do you want?” _

 

**“We have your brother. Comply, or** **_Jonathan dies.”_ **

 

“Wait—  _ what?!”  _ Jonathan’s head whipped around suddenly, eyes wide as his brain tried to process what was just said to him, but the uninvited guest had vanished, “— _ Oh Jesus, Cam.” _

 

\---

 

Suddenly Cameron was there, and  _ then he wasn’t.  _ And this wasn’t just another trick.

 

Kay didn’t know which way was up.  _ Literally. _

 

Somehow, someone had gotten into the Archive, set off a smoke grenade, and slipped right out from under their noses with Cameron in tow.

 

“No- no no  _ no!  _ Alvarez, check the stairwell!” Kay called out, ordering a few of the others around as she made a mad dash for the nearest window with a fire escape. Clambering outside, she spotted him.

 

The one who had taken Cameron—  _ and Cameron,  _ hoisted over the man’s shoulder, bound at the wrists and ankles and very clearly  _ unconscious. _

 

**_“FBI, FREEZE—”_ **

 

But the man didn’t falter. And Kay couldn’t get a clear look, or a clear shot.

 

Scrambling to call in for backup and continuing her frantic descent down the fire escape, Kay’s stomach dropped when she reached the bottom, and Cameron and the mystery  _ man  _ were nowhere to be found, lost within the sea of city life.

 

Her walkie beeped and she could hear Alvarez on the same channel, calling in the kidnapping. He must’ve witnessed the two make a break for it from out of the window.

 

Letting out a short, defeated breath in response, Kay raked a hand through her hair, her thoughts still racing.

 

_ How the hell were they gonna magic their way out of this one? _


	2. Chapter 2

Consciousness came back to Cameron in flashes.

 

_ Blink.  _ The distinct sensation of what felt like industrial strength zip ties ensnaring his wrists and ankles.

 

_ Blink.  _ The smell of some goon’s nauseatingly strong cologne.

 

_ Blink.  _ His feet finally able to gain purchase on solid ground—

 

_ Blink.  _ —followed by a totally unwelcome shove and then a punch to the gut.

 

And then  **light.** _ Lots and lots of  _ **_light._ **

 

“Ah,  _ Johnny _ — glad to see you could make it,” a thick Brooklyn accent broke the vocal silence in the room.

 

_ Oh, shit. _

 

Cameron internally cursed, continuing to blink rapidly in a futile attempt to regain some of his vision. A few figures came into focus a moment later, but that revelation was quickly squashed by a set of massive hands clamping down on his upper arms, and another huge fist colliding with some of his more  _ important _ organs. A pair of legs appeared as well, only to strike Cameron in the back of the knees, sending him sprawling unceremoniously to the ground.

 

Sucking in a wheeze of a breath in response, and silently thanking his lucky stars that they had mistakenly taken him  _ and not Jonathan,  _ Cameron glanced up at his captor after a few moments of slow, steeled inhales and exhales.

 

It was an older man, hair greyed at the ends, face weathered by an obviously unhealthy lifestyle— and what Cameron could only assume were  _ prison tattoos. _

 

As useless as Cameron already knew the attempt would be, now felt like an appropriate time to begin bargaining for his release.

 

Or at the very least,  _ his life. _

 

“Listen, man—  _ I’m not wh- who you think I am.” _

 

The mystery captor took a few steps forward, bending over to look Cameron directly in the eyes.

 

He remained silent for a moment, as if studying Cameron’s features _ —  _ the only sound in the room Cameron’s labored breathing.

 

_ “I don’t care _ —” the man finally spoke up, taking Cameron’s head in his hands for a moment before letting go and giving the magician a harsh pat on the cheek.

 

One of the goons across the room produced a laptop suddenly, positioning it on the table across from Cameron... webcam aimed and ready.

 

The leader spun around to glance between Cameron and the goons one last time as his men began producing ski-masks from seemingly out of nowhere and donning the obscuring garments quickly.

 

A red light suddenly blinked back at Cameron from the aforementioned laptop, and his captor, conveniently out of frame, grinned.

 

_ “—break him.” _

 

\---

 

Dina had  _ never  _ seen Jonathan like this. It was  _ unnerving—  _ to say the least.

 

It was all she could think about as the stream played in the background. 

 

That, and  _ decrypting the transmission signal of the livestream. _

 

_ Finding Cameron. _

 

The only member of the group to somehow actually keep her eyes glued to the screen however, scouring the environment for what little clues she could find, was  _ Kay. _

 

That didn’t mean it didn’t  _ hurt like hell  _ to watch.

 

Now stripped down to nothing more than his boxers and white  **_(_ ** not for long  **_)_ ** undershirt, Kay could see more visibly just how much damage the men were inflicting. Cameron’s face had been mottled with the beginnings of some particularly harsh looking bruises, but so were his arms _ —  _ plus quite a few cuts and lacerations that would very soon become infected if not cleaned and treated properly.

 

Sympathy pains plagued Jonathan and his face contorted in response as the taller man quickly shattered a few of Cameron’s ribs with a boot to the chest.

 

This was it.

 

There was no explanation.

 

_ No ransom demand. _

 

Just the group of them, forced to watch Cameron suffer _ — much too far _ out of their reach.

 

Suddenly, the feed cut out and Dina let out a string of curse words.

 

“NO _ —  _ I was  _ so close!  _ I- I almost had him-” her tone quickly fizzled out into one of desperation and utter, soul-crushing disappointment.

 

Before Alvarez had a chance to react, Jonathan had rushed to her side. Arms encircling the sobbing woman, the magician held her for a few moments as a weak attempt was made to steady his own uneven breaths.

 

“We’re gonna find him, Dina _ — we’re gonna bring him home. I promise.” _

 

\---

 

Expelling the blood that had gathered in his mouth with a weak spit, Cameron’s head lolled to the side as he warily eyed the two men flanking him on either side, fear very obviously present in his eyes. He was now restrained to a chair, legs bound at the knee  _ and  _ ankle this time, as well as the addition of a restraint around the waist. They had also let up on the beatings a bit after their boss ended the livestream, but apparently  _ traumatizing his friends  _ wasn’t the only part of the plan.

 

_ “Do you know why I brought you here, John?”  _ The man, who still had yet to reveal himself to Cameron  **_(_ ** which, in hindsight didn’t appear to be happening any time soon due to the fact that he still believed Cameron was Jonathan, and that Jonathan knew who he was _ —  _ but that’s beside the point  **_)_ ** _ ,  _ began to pace, somewhat leisurely, back and forth across the room.

 

_ “I d- d’nno how m’ny times I got’a tell— tell ya, man… ‘m not John’thn—”  _ Cameron slurred, desperately trying to will himself back to a semi alert and coherent.

 

_ “You’re crazy, you know that?”  _ The man stopped to glance down at Cameron, _ “But I like that about ya, kid... _ Too bad I’m gonna kill ya when this is all over.”

 

“Whhhuh _ —”  _ Jonathan’s head rocketed upward and his breathing became ever so slightly more shallow at this new revelation. Too preoccupied by the pain to think up a better plan, Cameron played along, “ _ I d’nno wha’d I did to y’u, man— least tell me wh’t I did?” _

 

“It’s not about what you did, John. S’about what you  _ didn’t do—” _

 

_ “W- whu’d I not do—?” _

 

“Doesn’t matter,”  _ What the fuck?  _ “ _ — _ you’re here.  _ Now you’re gonna pay.” _

 

Turning back to face the scene in front of him, Cameron’s captor let out a slight chuckle before turning to leave the room and tossing out one last order over his shoulder.

 

“Let’s see how good you are at palming things when those  _ pretty little hands of yours don’t work no more—” _

 

Before he had a chance to react, tall goon had one of Cameron’s wrists in one hand,  _ sledgehammer in the other. _


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys i'm so sorry for this late update..  
> i promised i wouldn't abandon my deception fics and i wont.. so no need to worry.  
> life is just.... all over the place right now. i'm okay, nothing bad, just.. dealing with some personal stuff while being very very very busy during the week.
> 
> Once again --- Disclaimer: Nothing you recognize belongs to me. (Except for the villain. He's my original character.) Also this is totally unbeta'd out of sheer laziness. Any mistakes are my own.
> 
> anyway, boring stuff aside, enjoy :')

Dina had known Jonathan for  _ years _ .

 

But in all those years, she had never seen anything like  **this.**

 

This wasn’t Jonathan Black, this was the  _ cold empty shell _ of her former lover.

 

His eyes were trained on a nearby spot on the floor as Kay and Mike continued to comb through the recorded footage with Jordan. If this was as painful as it felt for Dina, she could hardly imagine what Jonathan was feeling in this moment.

 

“Wait—  _ stop! Look…” _ Kay shouted suddenly and Jordan slammed a finger down onto the space bar, pausing the video. 

 

Sure enough, nearly in plain sight  _ (  _ **_how the hell could they have missed this the first time_ ** _ )  _ was a large window off to the side behind Cameron’s limp form.

 

“There!  _ Look at that reflection!— _ ” Kay’s voice was strained with emotion, but determined and sure.

 

Mike’s eyes flicked up to the screen and immediately spotted what he’d previously glossed over. A triumphant shout erupted from the other agent and he stepped forward to high five Kay.

 

Before Dina could open her mouth to inquire about this sudden life-saving clue, both agents were headed out the door, Kay on the phone for backup, and Gunter, Jordan, and Jonathan in tow.

 

Shaking her head to rid herself of whatever emotional fog had been able to cloud her mind, Dina retrieved her coat from the wall before following behind at a brisk pace.

 

\---

 

“No. Let him stew for a bit. We’ll save the fun shit for later—  _ if he behaves.” _

 

After his last remark, silence befell the room and the leader and his goons left,  _ finally leaving Cameron alone with his thoughts. _

 

Taking a slow, deep  **_(_ ** as deep as his broken ribs would allow  **_)_ ** breath, Cameron was now able to get a good look at his surroundings  **_(_ ** as good of a look as his swollen, black eye would allow  **_)_ ** , without the threat of further injury in doing so.

 

It was kind of hard to discover your own whereabouts after being kidnapped and blindfolded during the transport to said location, but a few minor details were beginning to make themselves known to Cam.

 

A faint glow reflected off the wall to his left and Cameron craned his neck to try and get a better view of the source.

 

Sure enough, a large, relatively hard to miss, billboard was positioned on a rooftop nearby directly outside the window.

 

A grin played at the edges of Cameron’s lips.

 

\---

 

Jonathan didn’t know how Cameron had done this for so long on his own.  _ Sure, _ the Deception team was supportive and helpful and  _ a welcome positive presence back in his life, but  _ **_shit—_ ** _ he just wanted his brother back. _

 

He wanted his  _ stupid, accident prone, stubborn yet fun loving, kiss-ass of a brother  _ back _. _

 

Trailing behind the others as they sprinted up the stairs to the final floor of the high rise, Jonathan steeled himself for whatever horrific sight he was about to witness. A faint sound could be heard from inside the room and Jonathan’s stomach tensed.

 

**_This was it._ **

 

Kay and Mike, armed and ready, sent a glance to the others, silently earning them to stay back-  _ way back - _ before kicking down the door.

 

\---

 

The room still silent on all accounts except for his own labored breathing, Cameron let his eyes slip shut.

 

**_This was it._ **

 

His chance to escape. It was all too easy.

 

He’d completed escapes like this  _ in his sleep. _

 

Just— shift this arm  _ this _ way- and-  _ and— _

 

Suddenly, an agonized yell burst from Cam’s chest.

 

No.  _ No.  _ **NO.**

 

Attempting to shift his arm again, expression wrought with pain as well as disbelief, Cameron couldn’t help the bile that rose up the back of his throat at the sickening realization that his shoulder mobility was now severely impaired.

 

A blink and his mind flashed back to an hour ago, the phantom grip of a henchman harshly wrenching back his arm playing back over and over again behind his eyes— like a sadistic, broken record.

 

This was  _ their fault.  _ His captor had his goons deliberately disable Cameron’s shoulder in the event that he would try to somehow make a daring escape.

 

_ And he had. _

 

He had fallen right into their trap.

 

“ _ — _ stupid- so fucking  _ stupid _ -” The words tasted like acid and the feeling brought tears to Cameron’s eyes.  _ How could he have been so naive.  _ It was all a test. They were probably watching from another room and laughing their assess off at how pathetic he looked right now.  **What a fucking id** **_—_ **

 

The distinct sound of radio static brought him back to the present, and a voice suddenly sent his heart and lungs into overdrive.

 

_ “Cam—!?” _

 

\---

 

The door came crashing open and Jonathan held his breath.

 

The two agents stormed into the room, ready to live out one of two scenarios. Either they  _ rescue Cam,  _ or  **die trying.**

 

But what they entered to find, was a less than welcome third option.

 

_ Nothing. _

 

It was empty.

 

Except for a lone chair at the center of the room.

 

Kay scanned the room for a moment, heart pounding in her ears, before deciding it was all clear  **_(_ ** as Mike did a more thorough sweep for any evidence of Cameron’s presence, and the rest of the group warily entered the room behind them  **_)_ ** _._ Returning her gun to its holster, she began to approach the chair.

 

She hadn’t noticed it upon entering, but resting on top of the chair were two items.

 

A small two way radio, and a playing card.

 

_ An ace of spades. _

 

Watching as Kay picked up the radio and briefly inspected it, Jonathan was now staring intently at the playing card.

 

Suddenly the most heart wrenching sound Kay had ever heard echoed from the radio. The static of the weak connection only adding to the unease building in Jonathan’s stomach.

 

It was a yell.  _ In pain,  _ no doubt. Followed by a whimper.

 

And finally  _ cursing. _

 

Four sets of eyes immediately shot toward Kay and Jonathan as everyone simultaneously realized who was on the other end of the radio.

 

Jonathan sucked in a breath before breaking the silence, his voice strained with emotion,  _ “Cam—!?” _

 

\---

 

As soon as Jonathan’s voice rang out among the silence of his beige-walled prison, whatever hope that had begun to blossom was  _ brutally ripped from him  _ as his captor and friends made a reappearance.

 

_ “Cam-- we’re gonna r-scue-- y-u-- h-ng in there b-ddy--” _

 

Retrieving the radio just as Jonathan had begun to speak again, the man was quick to switch off the device.

 

A wry grin slowly spread its way across his face as he motioned for one of his men to approach Cameron.

 

“Alright, we’ve had our fun.  _ Now it’s time for business.” _

 

Cameron noticed the sledgehammer a millisecond too late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for those of you that have asked or were curious, i do have a tumblr specifically for writing and where i will post updates regarding chapter uploads! if you want to come talk, share your thoughts about a chapter, or just say hi, my inbox is always open
> 
> http://xfitz.tumblr.com/

**Author's Note:**

> Thoughts? There is a severe lack of content for this fandom and that makes me very sad. So, I guess my brain decided to contribute, lol.


End file.
